Judge warns sureties to produce accused

By L.B.Senaratne

It was a disgrace for professionals to evade Court summons, which itself was an offence, said High Court Judge Ms.Kumudini Wickramasinghe. The judge made these remarks when the trial was taken up of the Russian qualified medical officer S.P.Pathirage who was accused of killing his six-month-old infant and his wife who was also a Russian qualified medical officer
The accused was not present in Court, though there was a warrant against him.

The judge said the money deposited by the sureties would be confiscated if they could not produce the accused, while they would have to face other consequences of the law. Even on the earlier date, the accused was not present and the then High Court Judge Nalin Perera re-issued the warrant for the arrest of the accused.

The three sureties - the accused’s mother Somalatha Samarasinghe and two friends of the accused - appeared in Court on a notice issued by the then High Court Judge Nalin Perera. As on the previous date the mother said she did not know the whereabouts of her son.

On the earlier date the mother had told Court that when her son was in remand over the alleged killing, his father had died and he had not known of the death. When he was given bail and came out of remand prison, he learnt of the death and was thereafter not balanced in his mind. One day he had gone out of his home and not returned. The mother had said every effort was being made to locate her son.

Attorney Kithsiri Seneviratne appeared for the aggrieved party. Attorney-at-law Nimal Suraweera appeared for the accused. The case was postponed for November 5 with the judge severely warning the sureties to produce the accused or face the consequences.